Afternoon catchup: 5 Butler County stories you need to know today

Kai Sotto, a 7-fot-3-inch, 18-year-old NBA prospect from the Philippines, wants to start a baseball at Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill in Hamilton. Provided by the NBA's G League

Kai Sotto, a 7-fot-3-inch, 18-year-old NBA prospect from the Philippines, wants to start a baseball at Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill in Hamilton. Provided by the NBA's G League

Here’s a look at five big Butler County stories today to catch up on the news:


Pop-up coronavirus testing site scheduled for Saturday in Ross Twp.

The city of Fairfield has the most confirmed novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases in Butler County, which is why the Butler County General Health District has arranged a pop-up community testing site in the parking lot next to ALDI at the corner of Patterson Boulevard and Pleasant Avenue. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

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A pop-up novel coronavirus testing site is scheduled for Butler County residents on Saturday in Ross Twp.

The free COVID-19 testing will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, or until resources run out at Ross Middle School, 3425 Hamilton-Cleves Road.

Anyone that will take a test must bring a government-issued photo I.D. and additional qualified documentation verifying you either reside or are employed in Butler County.

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Bond set for woman charged with murder in alleged Hamilton baseball bat assault

Misty Camp BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

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Bond was set Monday for a woman charged with murder for allegedly hitting a man with a baseball bat in Hamilton.

Misty Camp, 26, was indicted last week for felonious assault and murder for the alleged attack of Donald McDonald on Oct. 31 that resulted in his death, according to Hamilton police and court records.

Butler County Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster set bond for Camp at $250,000. A competency evaluation was also ordered. Camp is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 25 for a pre-trial hearing.

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NBA prospect from Philippines wants to create basketball academy at Spooky Nook in Hamilton

The Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill project in Hamilton as seen on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

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An 18-year-old, 7-foot-3-inch NBA prospect from the Philippines wants to create an academy for future basketball players at Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill, which is set to open in December 2021.

Kai Sotto wants his Kaiju Academy to be housed at the 1.3-million-square-foot Hamilton indoor sports complex that will be North America’s largest, officials with Spooky Nook and the city said.

Sotto, a member of the NBA G League Team Ignite, was not in town on Tuesday but was quoted in a news release as saying Kaiju is a Japanese term for monster, beast, or strange creature that he wants to embody his and the academy’s basketball play.

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Hamilton urban garden wins approval to add storage container on property

HUGS, Hamilton Urban Gardens, has won approval to place a shipping container on its Second Ward property for use as storage. PROVIDED

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An urban gardening organization that has been operating since 2015 has won approval to place a 40-by-8-foot shipping container on its property at 545 S. Front St., in the city’s Second Ward, also known as Riverview.

HUGS, which stands for Hamilton Urban Gardens, will use the container as a storage unit for equipment used at the 1.8-acre site, where a variety of vegetables and fruits are grown for several uses, including providing fresh produce to impoverished people who have trouble affording it.

“We’re thrilled that we were granted the conditional-use permit to be able to use the shipping container,” said Michelle Merrett, a HUGS board member.

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First vaccinated nurse in Butler County: ‘We should do everything we can’

ICU nurse first in Butler County to receive coronavirus vaccine

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UC Health’s West Chester Hospital was the first in Butler County to inoculate its frontline healthcare workers on Day 2 of the roll-out of the Pfizer novel coronavirus vaccine.

Kim Murphy, an ICU nurse at West Chester Hospital, was the first to receive the vaccine Tuesday morning at the Butler County hospital. She has seen death from the virus that has led to more than 300,000 deaths in the United States and more than 1.6 million worldwide since January.

Nearly 17 million in the United States and more than 72 million worldwide have been infected with the virus that forced pharmaceutical companies to develop a vaccine in record time.

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AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...

How to help: Community Food Relief effort has already guaranteed 164K meals for those in need

More than 100 cars lined up in Hamilton Friday to receive free food boxes as part of senior program sponsored by Shared Harvest food bank in Fairfield. More than 300 seniors who had signed up for the food giveaway came through the distribution center set up in a shopping center parking lot along Route 4 in Hamilton. (Photo By Nick Graham\Journal-News)

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The annual Community Food Relief effort, a collaboration between the Shared Harvest Food Bank and the Journal-News, is again raising funds this holiday season for those who need help.

For every $1 you give, Shared Harvest can provide food for eight meals in Butler, Preble, Warren, Miami, and Darke counties.

Through Sunday, the effort has raised $20,507, which translates to more than 164,000 meals that will be distributed at a time of great need.

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